“My biggest goal for next year is that I want to win the most improved player in the league. My goal for this summer is to come back a much stronger, better player. That’s the biggest goal for me. Whatever role I’m in it should show through, I think that’s the most important thing.”

He’ll be flanked by two NBA veterans, former NBA All-Defense stud Ben Wallace and North Carolina champion Ed Davis. During those dog days, Cope will be sweating, laughing, pacing and improving.

Meanwhile, in a distant major metropolis, New York Knicks fans will be praying for Cope to return from summer break in an orange and blue jersey.

There’s no doubt Copeland will be sporting his widest summer smile ever. He spent this time last June biting fingernails and chewing cuticles, waiting for the call that would change his life. Now Cope is enjoying an aerial view of NBA free agency, looking to “play and contribute,” but also “get paid.”

Is Copeland worth the Knicks mid-level exception cash? Of course. With a per-36 minute average of 20.1 points per contest (17th best in the NBA) placing him ahead of players like Blake Griffin, Paul Pierce and Dirk Nowitzki, Cope is in free agency’s driver seat.

We haven't even talked about his sweet stroke yet. Cope almost outshot Steve Novak from deep, with his .421 three-point mark finishing only .4 behind Novak’s 2012-13 regular-season percentage (.425).

Cope is grateful—that much is certain. He was putting in work over in Europe since his Colorado college days and just needed a chance to prove the haters wrong.

It took Cope quite a few practice suicides to get Mike Woodson's attention, but he did his best to make his coach look like a stooge for making him wait.

Chris Copeland is a hooper with some upside potential. I mean, the man won the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in April and gave us the Kanye shrug.

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He knows he needs to get his game up, but where?

Skill No. 1: Man-to-Man Defense

Despite his glorious rookie campaign, Cope’s still got to learn how to play the other side of the ball. But what should the kid work on first?

Man-to-man defense isn't a prerequisite for lethal NBA scorers (see: Curry, Stephen), but it's necessary for any journeyman to be competent and have sticking power. Cope was atrocious on the defensive end all year, letting his man whip by for easy hoops.

Cope will be with Ben Wallace this summer, and should pick up some tips from him during their training sessions.

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Skill No. 2: Team Defense

"One-on-one, I'm pretty solid I think. But rotations, I was really bad. I didn't know where to be in certain situations, and when to go or when not to go. I struggled in doing that."

Other than your majesty ImanShumpert, the Knicks don't have many great one-on-one defenders. Basketball is a team game, after all, and the Knicks have been able to sneak by with Melo-centric small ball lineups because of solid team defense.

Since Tyson Chandler's arrival, the Knicks have been in the top half of team defenses (11th in 2012, seventh in 2013) and held opponents to 95.2 points per game over the same span. New York uses Chandler as the central anchor, with guards feeding opponents to Tyson's patrol and leaking out for fast breaks and big jams after monster swats.